T minus: One Hour
by klaroholic
Summary: A drabble (turned full on story: oops!) in which Caroline tries on prom dresses, has a moment, and then Klaus does something he's probably never done. Will the romanticism of the night finally push them together? Or is the timing just never going to be right? Also contains Steroline (brotp) and random but necessary Damon.
1. Chapter 1

_No, no, nope, no...ooh...damn, too small, no, _hell _no...ah ha!_

Caroline plucked the deep purple dress from the wardrobe, holding in front of her in the mirror.

"Find anything yet, sweetheart?" Klaus called _again_ from the other side of the bedroom door.

She rolled her eyes and replied, "Not yet!"

"Well you do know the dance starts in just over an hour, right?"

"You know I organized said dance, right?" she fired back, stepping into the strappless gown and pulling it up over her black lacy undergarmets. Sure no one would see them, but it just made her feel better. "Wait, how do _you _know what time _my_ senior prom starts?"

A light chuckle floated through the closed door. "You have met my darling little sister, have you not?"

Caroline smiled and whispered, mostly to herself, "'Nuff said."

"I did hear that, you know?"

"Oh, I know." For a second, Caroline forgot the exact situation she was in and just stared at the gorgeous dress hugging her form like a second skin. The bodice was dark purple satin with wire ribbing to form atight cage around her torsoe. It was a traditional corset style, full lacing down the whole of the back, leading to a lavender bow, also of satin, which formed a border with the skirt. The gown flowed freely to the floor in layers of toole in various shades of violet. It was stunning.

But it didn't feel quite right. The 146th dress she'd tried and it still wasn't _the one._

Caroline frowned and sighed heavily, sweeping her loose curls to the side again, moving to undo the zipper. It didn't budge.

"Seriously..." she breathed, trying to move the zipper down without damaging the dress. That's all she needed, was Rebekah mad at her for ruining a gown.

"Everything alright, love?" Klaus' voice brought Caroline back to reality.

_Right. At the mansion, rummaging through Rebekah's collection, Original Hybrid stalker man in the hallway, prom in t minus..._shit! 45 minutes?!

"Yeah!" Caroline yelled, still trying to unzip the dress. "Its just...being...kind of...difficult...Ugh!" With a huff, she stopped, having no luck. _No luck seems to be a recurring thing in my life lately, _she thought bitterly.

Caroline could hear Klaus calling her name, banging on the door, asking if she was alright. But she was frozen. She was panicing. And not the I'm-in-a-flurry-of-movement panic, but full on deer in headlights, half melt down panic.

None of this should be happening. She shouldn't be a vampire, her boyfriend - or whatever Tyler was to her at this point - shouldn't be a hybrid, Elena shouldn't be a crazy, remorseless, psycho-vampire, her father shouldn't be dead, and she shouldn't be in enemy camp trying on prom dresses and getting stuck in the wrong freaking one; the wrong one she could hardly see for the tears in her eyes.

Finally Klaus just got fed up and burst in the room, his look of frustration and impatience dissolving completely into concern as soon as he laid eyes on Caroline.

She was, quite simply...a beautiful mess. The dress she had on - on of his personal favorites - looked absolutely flawless on her tiny form. The way the bodice pushed her breasts up just enough to reveal an alluring amount of cleavage made Klaus hold his gaze there perhaps a second longer than was gentlemanly.

From the neck up,, she was a stunning, broken, mess. Her normally perfectly curled hair hung in loose curls over her right shoulder. Buther eyes, her beautiful blue eyes, were reddish and blurry, tears spilling out and down her flushed cheeks.

Those eyes flashed up to meet his in the mirror, remaining vulnerable for only a second before she reached up to wipe the make up just starting to rub off on her face.

"What's the matter, love?"Klaus found himself whispering while taking a step toward her, coming within arms reach.

"I - I'm fine. Its okay," Caroline stammered, fidgeting with her hands, and fixing her hair. Its just...the, the zipper is broken and..." she chuckled humorlessly, "...and my life is a mess and this was supposed to be perfect and I hate that it isn't and I'm sorry, I'm rambling..." She trailed off, looking aywhere but his eyes.

Klaus gave her a small smile and slowly reached for her hand. The contact seemed to send a jolt through her as she breathed in sharply and raised her paniced eyes to his calm ones. He used their joined hands to turn her to face him fully. Before he could think better of it, he raised his other hand to her face and wiped away a stray tear cwith his thumb, his fingers gently threading in her hair. The corners of his mouth tugged up a bit when she sighed at the touch.

"I know you're not fine, Caroline..." he started and had to pause then she squeezed her eyes tighter shut, causing fresh tears to falll. "I know you're not fine and that is perfectly fine. And its alright to be a bit of a mess sometimes, love. You've got eternity to get it right." he added with a bit of hopefulness that it would cheer her up. It had the opposite effect.

"Thats exactly the problem! I _shouldn't_ have eternity, Klaus. This should be a single, unique night, only to happen once in my life, but I'll have a thousand more!" She paused to take a shkey breath. "But this is the _first_ one. The original night. It should be perfect but everything's a mess, I'm...a mess..."

She tried backing away from him, but Klaus wasn't done. His hands fell to her shoulders, keeping her close.

"I know it feels like a mess, and maybe it is but, " he rushed on even though she was shaking her head and tears flowed again. " Caroline, listen to me. You need to know this, sweetheart, look at me." When she continued shaking her head, lip quivering, tears falling, Klaus gently placed his hands on either side of her face tilting it up slightly and stopping her movements.

She let out a steadying breath and Klaus just decidded to let everything else go and just go on impulse. His Forehead came to rest on hers for a moment.

"Oh, my sweet Caroline," he breathed, then leaned back so he could see her properly. 'Please, love. Open your eyes."

Perhaps the gentleness of his voice or the soothing feel of his fingers softly away her tears, but for whatever reason, Caroline's eyes fluttered open and found his.

After a moment of simply gazing down at her, Klaus whispered, just loud enough for her to hear, "For the part I have played in causing the mess in which you believe you find yourself, I..." his voice caught seeing the expectation and vulnerability in her eyes. "I am truly sorry, Miss Forbes."

He gave her a moment to register the fact that the almighty Original Hybrid was apologizing to _her, _an 18 year old, baby vampire.

"A creature so beautifu should not be so broken," he stated, placing a quick kiss on her forehead before she could object. "Now," he continued - mostly - ignoring the look of shock on her face from the display, "if you'll allow me to fix what I can and get you to that ideal prom night of yours."

Finally, Caroline cracked a smile.

"You can try the zipper, but I'm telling you its - whoa! What are you doing?" The panic in her voice rose as Klaus wrapped his arms tighter around her waist, pulling their bodies almost flush together.

Klaus smiled, dimples showing as he said, "Relax, love. Simply untying a knot. There's only one other way- well - one other _acceptable_ way out of this dress."He winked at the last part and Caroline rolled her eyes.

_Great, _she mused, _back to normal already._

Her thought was interrupted whe Klaus turned her to face the mirror again and began unlacing the corset holding the dress in place.

Caroline took slow breaths, trying to ignore the thick sexual tension that now filled the room and avoided looking at Klaus in the mirror. She couldn't help it; there was something incredibly sexxy about watching him undress her - _wait. sexy?! Did I really just describe him as sexy?_

"Look, I can get the rest of it, really" she said as she reached behind her only to have her hand literally slapped away.

"You'll only tangle the strings." He replied cooly, eyes not leaving his work.

"Oh, and you won't?" Caroline retorted.

Caroline gasped as she felt his scruff graze her shoulder, his breath ghost on her ear as he said huskily, "I've undone a few corsets in my day, love."

"Oh, gross!" she joked, leaning away from his smirking face.

He chuckled and finished unlacing the bodice with a flourish. Neither of them laughed however when their eyes met in the mirror and Klaus let his knuckles drag down Caroline's now exposed back, leaving a trail of goose flesh in their wake. The tension lingered in the air for a moment longer before Klaus took a step back.

"Well," he sid, voice thick, "I'll leave you to it then. Let me know if you need...anything else."

With his signature smirk in place, he disappeared from the room, leaving a confused and intrigued Caroline to find the perfect prom dress in...

_Oh my god! Thirty minutes?!_


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: So here's part 2! Forgot to put an author's note before the first one. Oops! This _is_ my first fic ever so I'm still figuring out etiquitte. ;)  
****Anyway, this part is a little longer and there's a bit of Stefan/Caroline interaction at the beginning. They're such bros, I can't handle it sometimes! Also it gets kinda super angsty toward the end. Oh and I would listen to "This" by Ed Sheeran at least for the last half. ;)  
****Thank you for reading and reviewing and such! Means SOOO much! Okay, I've said my peace. Enjoy!**

* * *

It took Caroline another two tries to find _the _dress. She knew it was the right choice when she sighed in relief and contentment when she saw it in the mirror. The delicate golden hued fabric hung perfectly on her slight body, matching the highlights of her hair perfectly. Her gently curled tresses were swept up off her neck which was void of any jewelry; she couldn't very well borrow that as well. Besides, anything she had would pale in comparison to the lavish beading on the gown. After taking a moment to fix her makeup, smeared a bit from her crying session earlier, Caroline raced out of the mansion. It surprised her more than she was willing to admit that Klaus wasn't waiting to ambush her on the way out.

She arrived at the dance only ten minutes late. Two hours and several glasses of the apparently spiked punch later and Caroline decided that she may as well have taken her time. The prom was almost a total disaster. And her vampire metabolism wouldn't let her get drunk enough to handle it.

Elena brought a heaping helping of drama with her. As much as Caroline wanted to believe in her friend's ability to find her was back to the light side of being a vampire, her resolve as a best friend wavered when she tried to kill not just little innocent April, but Bonnie too.

"I want her back as much as everyone else, Stefan," she told him after said attempt on her other friend's life. "But she is out of control right now!"

"I know Caroline, Damon and I are taking care of it." He looked away as he said it and Caroline knew exactly what that meant.

_Desperate times call for desperate measures, _she thought, sadly. _Or at least they call for secluded cellars with doors that only lock on the outside..._

"Okay, just...do whatever you have to to get her under control." Caroline took a step forward, poking him in the chest with her finger to drive her point home. "I swear Salvatore, if she ruins prom any more than she already has, I will "take care of it" myself."

Stefan chuckled a little, but it turned into more of a grimace when Caroline raised her eyebrows challenging him. He put his hands up in surrender saying, "Alright, alright. I got it." She backed down and Stefan added, "You really look beautiful tonight, Care."

She smiled and whispered, "Thanks."

_If you only knew what I had to go through to get this dress..._she stopped herself before her mind could linger too long on Klaus, his gentle touch, his kind words, his deep, blue, smoldering eyes..._Stop!_

"I should go," Stefan said, brining Caroline out of her reverie. "Gotta make sure she hasn't succeeded in killing someone."

"Third time's the charm, right?" Caroline quipped, earning a shoulder bump from Stefan. "Sorry. Too soon?" She looked up at himand smiled wider when she saw him doing the same.

"I'll let you know how it goes," he said, walking away. He turned back a second later and called, "Hey, Care?"

"Yeah?"

"I voted for you," he replied with a smile before disappearing to find his psycho ex-girlfriend.

That was the last time she smied, and it was well over an hour ago. Now she found herself, Caroline Forbes - former Miss Mystic Falls, cheerleading extrordinaire - standing alone by one of the exits, drink in hand. She watched with only mild amusement, her peers who were dancing (in blissful ignorance of the possible impending apocolypse) to the too loud techno blaring from the speakers.

It was so loud that, had she not been a vampire, Caroline would have missed the whir of air behind her signaling a supernatural presence. At first she thought maybe Stefan was back, but then she caught the heady, woodsy scent of his aftershave and shook her head softly, not bothering to turn.

"Nobody puts Baby in a corner," he quoted, minus the American accent, and it made Caroline jump. First because his voice was much closer than she thought, then because she felt his hand brush hers as it hung by her side.

"Seriously?" Caroline retorted. "A thousand years old and the best you can come up with is a cheesy line from a movie?" She started to laugh, but her breath caught as she felt the fabric of his coat against her bare shoulder when he reached around her to take the glass from her hand. She followed his motion with her eyes as he placed the beverage on a conveniently placed table. Then her eyes traveled up, trying to comprehend the sight before her.

_Damn..._was her only coherant thought as she took in the sight of him in a perfectly tailored black tux with a crisp white shirt and black tie in a loose knot around his neck. He looked...perfect. _Again, _she amended quickly remembering the day of the pageant. And here he was, saving the day fom being a disaster, yet again...

Trying to shake herself from her thoughts, Caroline shot back another witty retort. "I am most certainly not a baby. Yours or anyone else's." _There. Thats better._ Caroline raised her chin in indignation, hoping he'd get the hint as she brushed past him. He didn't.

Klaus' hand shot out and gently grasped her elbow causing Caroline's heart to pick up a beat.

"I am over a thousand years old and you're a mere 18, are you not?" he said in her ear. "And you've only been a vampire for about a year? You truly are a baby, darling."

"Thats...you..." Caroline stammered before laughing softly, and Klaus released her arm, simply standing in front of her looking confused. She finally said between breaths, "Thats so creepy!"

Klaus lowered his eyes to the floor, laughing as well, suddenly finding his shoes fascinating. As he spoke, a smile evident in his voice. "It sort of is, isn't it?" He raised his eyes to hers, a smile indeed gracing his lips. "I apologize, Miss Forbes, you seem to have me at a loss for words tonight."

Caroline stopped laughing almost immediately, hearing him apologize to her for the second time in five hours. She felt the blush rising in her cheeks as his gaze seemed to set her ablaze. It wasn't just the physical desire she knew was there, it was the desire to know her, who she was, why she thought the way she did. She'd never felt that from anyone before this man.

"How about a dance?" Klaus asked suddenly, shaking Caroline from her thoughts again. She looked up to see him extending a hand to her, back to the dance floor, looking as eager and sincere as ever.

"How about no." she answered, resorting automatically to banter to cover her feelings.

Klaus gave her a knowing look and said, "Come on, be reckless for once in your life." After a beat he added, "Whats the worst that could happen?"

As she was about to give him a long list of very bad things that could happen - that had nothing to do with them dancing together and everything to do with her stalling the apparently inevitable - the music faded and the DJ announced that now was the time to announce Prom King and Queen.

"Looks like you'll have to wait, " Caroline said with a smirk as she brushed past him again, going to stand amongst her classmates.

"And the winners are..." the MC opened an envelope and read off "Caroline Forbes and Dillon Macafee!"

The crowd cheered as Caroline grimaced. _Really? Dickhead Dillon? God, he looks hammered..._

She ascended the stage to receive her crown as Dillon stumbled up the stars, yelling and flailing along with his other knucklehead jock friends.

"Hey, baby! Don't you look like a hot piece of ass tonight!" He slurred in her face, reeking of alcohol. _Oh, sweet lord, take me now..._

Before she could protest, the two were being paraded onto the dance floor for their first dance together as King and Queen. The song that started was way too fast for Caroline's liking, and Dillon was much too handsy for Klaus' liking. After the third time he tried to grab Caroline's ass and the fourth time she shoved his arm off her shoulder, Klaus stepped in between them, placing a firm hand on the kid's shoulder and pulling him back. Caroline froze, seeing the fury on Klaus's face, but also knowing he wouldn't hurt anyone there. For her. She heard his next words to the drunk teenager in his grip, simultaneously excited and terrified that she could have this effect on the hybrid.

"I believe the lady has had enough of you, mate. Mind if I cut in?" he hissed in his ear before shoving him, none too gently into the crowd who, in all honesty was on Caroline's side. Then he nodded to the DJ who changed the song. The room calmed down, taking a hint from the softer, slower song which Caroline instantly recognized.

She closed her eyes for a brief second before opening them to find a grinning Klaus holding out a hand to her.

"Shall we?" he asked knowing she wouldn't refuse him now.

_You bastard. You clever, sweet, cheeky bastard.._

With a sigh, Caroline took his hand allowing him to lead her in a small circle before turning her once and bringing her body to his. She could swear her heart would've stopped if she wasn't dead already.

Klaus held her close, but not flush, his right hand holding hers a bit out to the side while his left was placed up by her shoulder, making a rather formal frame. She had her right hand on his shoulder, her forearm supported on his bicep. Caroline noted he was giving her some distance, letting her decide whether she wanted to keep it or not. She brought her eyes up to meet his and almost gasped at the open affection in them. What intensified the moment more was the relevancy of the words in the song that played.

_You are the one who'd make me lose it all_

_And you are the start of something new_

Caroline smiled a little, trying to lighten the moment and distract herself from the path her thoughts were trying to take.

"Thank you," she whispered before she could stop herself.

He returned her smile, but a bit bigger, showing those stupid dimples.

_He's totally doing that on purpose. Who's supposed to argue with those adorable dimp- wait. Adorable? Did I just describe the Original Hybrid as _adorable?

"For which act am I receiving your gratitude, sweetheart?" He asked, eyes still searching her face; for what, she didn't know. "Giving you the dress or saving you from that bafoon?"

"Both, I guess," Caroline answered, looking away. "Neither of which were entirely necessary, by the way." she added, leaning away to look at him seriously.

"Of course not," he replied. Then Caroline squealed in surprise as Klaus stepped away from her grabbing both her hands, using one tor turn her, wrapping her arm around herself as he pulled her to him, her back colliding with his chest and holding her there as he whispered in her ear, "I know you are more than capable of handling yourself, love." Then he released her left hand while giving her a slight push to unravel their arms. A second later she was in his arms again, but much closer, his arm now around her waist, their intwined hands mostly a formality at this point. Caroline had put her hand out to stop her from colliding with his chest again and she just let it rest next to the lapel of his jacket.

_Screw it, _Caroline thought to herself as she let out a nervous giggle. _I haven't smiled this much in ages. What's one night of recklessness in the eternity I have ahead of me?_

Finally letting go, Caroline leaned forward, tucking her head into Klaus' shoulder. Her nose rested lightly on his jacket, filling her senses with his unmistakably Klaus scent. As she closed her eyes to savour the feeling, if only for a second, she fellt Klaus sigh, his body releasing soe tension she hadn't noticed him holding.

When he spoke, his voice was thick and husky, his breath warming the shell of her ear. "If I haven't mentioned before, you look exceptionally stunning tonight."

Caroline grinned, eyes still closed as she said equally as soft, "Thank you, Nik."

Not a second later, the song was over and everyone started moving. Everyone but Klaus, who seemed to have frozen. Caroline, now woken from her trancelike state stepped back, only a little disappointed when he let her go rather easily. The look on his face that could only be described as complete and utter shock had Caroline doing a double take.

"Klaus?" she asked. Nothing. "Klaus!" she repeated, louder this time.

He blinked down at her and Caroline could practically see the protective mask going back up. "Thank you for the dance, Caroline. Return the dress whenever you wish." He offered her a small smile then disappeared.

_What the hell was that?_


	3. Chapter 3

**A.N.: Sorry it took so long to get this up! I know its been months, and I'm just as frustrated as you probably are. School was a nightmare, but I graduated a couple weeks ago so yAY! Anyway, here it is! Part 3 - FINALLY!  
****I'm honestly still deciding whether or not to do a follow-up (smutty-ish) part now that I have time and an idea.  
Let me know what you think! Tell me if I should leave it or resolve it completely - and by "it" I mean the thick sexual tension. ;)  
Alright, enough me babbling, Enjoy!**

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Caroline stuck around for another 20 minutes or so then decided to call it. Not only did the dance kinda die after 11pm, but she couldn't get Klaus out of her head. She couldn't for the life of her figure out what made him run for the hills, but she was sure as hell gonna find out.

Before she could think better of it, Caroline drove home and changed out of the dress into a pair of jean shorts and a casual button up. After staring at her shoe collection for a second, she opted for the cowboy boots with the highest heel. She shook out her hair and wiped off some of her make up before grabbing the dress and her keys, looking in the mirror one more time before heading out.

_If you're gonna dance with the devil, might as well look good doing it._

When she finally pulled up to the Michaelson mansion it was nearly midnight. _Least its not a full moon tonight,_ she thought. Dress in hand she walked up to the front door, noting how quiet the house was. There was definitely someone there, she could sense that, but otherwise it was silent. Eerily so. Without knocking, Caroline opened the door and walked in. Hey, he did it to her, she was just returning the favor.

"Klaus?" She called while walking through the rooms she was familiar with. Nothing. Then she heard the fire crackling, the clink of glass on glass as he poured himself another drink. "I thought I'd bring the dress back now," she said walking in the direction of the noises. "Hope you don't mind that I just..." she trailed off as she rounded the corner, catching sight of him.

He had taken off the jacket and just had the sleeves rolled up in his button up shirt. Now, he was standing by the fireplace, whiskey decanter in hand, shoulders slumped as she'd never seen before.

"Hey," she said, walking into the room and placing the dress over the back of a chair. "What's wrong?"

Klaus gave a short laugh, still not looking at her. "You should go, Caroline. Wouldn't want your friends to find out you've been in my company so much today, would you?"

_Damn..._Caroline had completely forgotten the repore between her friends and Klaus. He was always - well, usually - so kind to her, she forgot he wasn't like that with everyone. To her he was the (mostly) unwanted suitor, the considerate friend, the constant protector, the intriguing Renaissance man out of his time, and the one who always found a way to make her feel special, wanted, beautiful. And now it seemed like he was angry at her.

"Did I do something?" Caroline asked, closing the space between them to a few feet. "Did I say something wrong? Because I've been pretty accomodating to your kinda creepy Cinderella fettish tonight. Dressing me up then following me and demanding a dance." Okay maybe she was overstating a bit, but whatever. She stared daggers at his back, hands on hips.

He turned his head in her direction just a fraction. "If I recall, you're the one who asked for the dress. As for the dance," he turned to face her, deep blue eyes shining in the firelight and crackling with just as much heat, "I believe I was an improvement upon the unfortunate prom king, was I not?"

"Well, sure but that's not really hard to do anyway." When he looked unconvinced, Caroline took another step forward, invading his space. "I thought we agreed to be friends. Friends tell each other when somehting is wrong." Nothing. She sighed, saying softly, "What happened to you? You just ran off."

Klaus looked back at her with an almost pained expression on his face. Like she had brought up the one subject he feared most. "Thank you for returning the dress," he answered, attempting to brush past her.

_What the hell? Oh, no you don't!_ Caroline shot out her hand and grabbed his forearm when he came near enough, reaching to take the decanter from his hand and placing it on the mantle that was now right next to her. Klaus kept his eyes on the place where their bodies connected, a disturbing intensity in his eyes, as if he expected them to catch fire. Then he blinked hard and tore it from her grasp.

"What is going on with you?" Caroline yelled, making him freeze, though his eyes still focused on the floor. "Talk to me, Klaus! You can't just be all sweet and knight-in-shining-armor like, even defending my freaking honor and then just shut me out! Its rude and selfish and I don't know why you're doing this and you won't talk to me and I -"

"You called me Nik," he interrupted, locking his eyes on hers. God, those eyes...it still caught her off guard just how many emotions were going on in them at any given moment. One look from him felt more intimate than a night with her boyfriend ever did. It was...amazing, in the truest sense of the word.

Caroline got so lost in those eyes, she forgot he had said something. "What?"

"You called me Nik," he repeated with a small smile.

"Oh," she breathed. "I'm sorry, I didn't know...I don't know why I said that."

"Its alright, love, but you should know something." It was now his turn to invade her space. He stood so close their chests nearly touched when she breathed and she had to look up to maintain eye contact. "I don't think you're quite ready for me to be Nik to you yet."

"No," she challenged immediately, uncomfortable being on the defensive with him., "I don't think you're ready. Because Nik is who you really are. You can't hide behind your Klaus facade of being a ruthless killer or Niklaus the infamous fairy tale of a man. You'd just be...Nik, the man. And that scares the hell out of you." She smirked up at him before adding, "Then again, you've never been very good at being ordinary, so..."

He stared at her for a moment then shook his head, his eyes growing hard and cold. "What difference does it make, love? You're with...Tyler." He all but spat his name.

"So?" Caroline challenged, glaring at him. "Why does it even matter so much that I called you Nik? What does Tyler have to do with it?"

"Because when you call me Nik, " Klaus started, walking into her, almost making her jump with his proximity, "I want it to be because you have given yourself to me completely...and I to you. I want it to be because it is the only coherent word you can think of as I give you pleasure you've never imagined. I don't just want it to be a slip of the tongue in a vulnerable moment. I...I want it to be real."

_Well, shit...when you put it like that._

Caroline was speechless. And that didn't happen often. That rarity coupled with the fact that Klaus was just so open with her, honest - almost too much so - and the look in his eyes as he gazed down at her...and he really was gazing. Usually, guys looked at her or checked her out, but Klaus seemed to actually, genuinely gaze. As if he were trying to memorize her every feature before she disappeared forever. _Forever..._the concept of forever hadn't really hit Caroline until that moment. The possibilities of the future were nearly overwhelmingly endless. And it made her think...maybe one day. Then his words from that first dance: "_Maybe in a year, or a decade, or even in a century..."_ At the time she'd brushed them off thinking, _yeah right. I'm with Tyler and I always will be. _Always...another concept that seemed impossible then.

Caroline stood there and looked up at him, subconsciously noticing her hand had developed a mind of its own and was finding its way to rest on his chest as if to assure herself he wasn't moving. She began considering, what if she and Tyler grew apart? It wasn't outside the realm of possibility. What if, someday a hundred and fifty years from now, she found Klaus and he still felt this way about her? Also, not outside the realm of possible situations. Would she give him a chance?

When she realised her what her answer was, she went all in. He'd either get mad and do something stupid - though she was sure he wouldn't hurt her...again - or he'd accept her answer and leave it there.

"Hey," she whispered, bringing his attention back to her, his eyes back to hers. Slowly, painfully so, she brought her hands up to frame his face, her thumbs gently dragging under his cheek bones, loving the way his stubble tickled the pads of her fingers. She felt him take in a quick breath and his brow furrowed a bit, but he made no move to stop her. Taking that as an encouraging sign, she spoke. "Do you remember how you told me that there was a whole world out there, waiting for me? How you offered to take me anywhere?" He gave the slightest of nods and looked like he was about to speak, but Caroline went on. "Do you remember telling me I had to adjust my perception of time? Or how you told me maybe in a year, or a decade, or even a century," she laughed as she tried to immitate his accent. Klaus gave a tight smile, worry, confusion, and hope fighting for dominance in his expression.

"Caroline, what are you - " he started to say, but she silenced him, gently placing her fingers on his lips.

"I think I believe you," she managed to get out before getting distracted by the feel of his lips. Her hand hovered a second longer before she snapped out of it...mostly. Her other hand had slipped to the back of his neck so that her finger tips fiddled with his curls, the feel of his skin under her hand was amazing, electrifying. _Focus, Caroline! _she scolded herself. Finding her voice she summoned her courage and continued.

"I think that in a year, or a decade...maybe I'll be ready to accept that offer. I want you to show me the world someday, Klaus. I want to see if...whatever is going on between us is just happening because it shouldn't or if you - we - if we really feel something for eachother. And as tempting as it is to just run away with you, and yes it is very tempting...you're right. I'm with Tyler and I can't do that to him. I don't want to do that to you." She paused, feeling his jaw clench under her hand. Putting all the sincerity she felt into her eyes, she held his gaze and said, "I want to give you a chance, Klaus. I just don't know if you'll wait."

Klaus let out a breath and gave a small smile. His hands were suddenly cupping her face, mirroring her gesture from moments ago. "For you, love," he said, tucking her hair behind her ear, "I'll wait. As long as it takes." Then he leaned forward, placing his forehead on hers.

Caroline felt like she should pull away, but couldn't bring herself to do it. _You have a boyfriend! _she yelled at herself. _Yeah, a boyfriend who hasn't held me this tenderly in, well, ever! _she yelled back. Frustrating and inconvenient as it was, something about this just felt...right.

She snapped back to reality when she felt him tilt his head more towards her, their noses brushing, his breath ghosting on her lips. Her hand on the back of his head tightened a bit as the fingers of his right hand ran through her hair, stopping at the nape of her neck. Her breath caught in either fear or anticipation, she couldn't tell which.

"Caroline," Klaus whispered and she knew he was asking permission. Hell, he was practically begging. Her right hand grasped at the collar of his shirt and her other fingers flexed and straightened against the back of his head making him sigh as Caroline debated.

_Oh, what the hell. He knows I'm not changing my mind. _

"Just one, "she answered.

Caroline's eyes drifted closed as Klaus's lips drifted closer. She took a deep breath and braced herself for him to assault her mouth in a last ditch effort to get her right then and there. But it never happened. Instead, he closed the gap slowly and with more self control than she would have thought possible. Finally, he sweetly and firmly pressed his lips to hers. Caroline felt her knees go weak from the tenderness. His right hand on the back or her neck held her firmly in place while the thumb of his other hand traced along her cheek, the feather light touch making her shiver. His lips were just slightly parted on hers and Caroline felt his tongue dart out to taste her bottom lip. Caught up in the moment and the sensation of his tongue, she returned the favor, doing the same to his upper lip, savoring the taste. Sweeter than she expected, but then that was just how he was with her anyway: sweeter than expected.

Before she had time to second guess her decision on "just one", Klaus pulled away and their lips made that perfect sound that indicates a perfect kiss. It made her press her hand even firmer into the back of his head, savoring the feel of his curls on her fingertips. _Tyler doesn't have awesome curls, _an annoying voice in her head commented before she could stop it. In fact, she was already making all these comparisons in her head before she could stop herself.

Suddenly, Klaus's voice pulled her out of her reverie. "Well," he sighed, voice thick. Caroline opened her eyes, which she hadn't noticed were still closed. After a beat, Klaus brought his head up, resting his nose on the top of her head. Caroline moved her hand from the back of his head to his left hand which was still gently caressing her cheek. She meant to take his hand and remove it, but as soon as their skin made contact, she froze, pulse jumping.

As if in an attempt to calm her down, Klaus pressed his lips to her forehead in a gentle, lingering kiss. Caroline's eyes involuntarily drifted closed momentarily at the feeling of his lips on her skin one last time. Then he stepped away from her, dropping his hands and looking into the fire.

"You should go, love." he said like he had when she came in. And as she looked at his profile in the warm glow of the fire, Caroline swore she saw a tear run down his cheek.

"Yeah," she said looking around and locating her keys. She started to walk out, only half sad when he didn't move to stop her. Caroline made it to the doorway before turning. "Thank you, Klaus. For the dress, for the dance, for...for being patient with me. I - it means a lot. Anyway...I'll see you." She couldn't say 'goodbye'; that was too permanent. 'See ya later' was too...casual after what just happened. 'I'll see you' seemed like the best option even if it was a little weak.

With a sad smile at his back, Caroline continued out.

"I'll wait for you, love." she heard him remind her as she opened the front door.

As it closed behind her, she wondered if she'd really made the right decision.

* * *

**The End?**

**What do ya think?! Too cliff-hangery or does that ending satisfy you? I'd be more than happy to post a final bit, but if not, I'll move on to something else! :)  
****Anyway, thank you guys for hanging in there and being so patient with me, I really hope this part lived up to expectations.**

**IMPORTANT(added 7/15/13)**

**Due to an overwhelming response, I WILL be posting another part! Also, due to my crazy writers brain, my inspiration for the end came in the form of two chapters. I will be posting them in rather quick succession, maybe a day or two so you won't freak out. Sound good? Awesome! **

**Brace yourselves: its going to hurt. And then it won't.**

**Stay tuned!**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Ta dah! Part 4! And there will be another chapter, don't fret. (Because you will at the end of this one) I'll be quick about it, for all of our sakes. It'll probably be more like two so I've updated the story summary to fix the discrepency.  
****Special thanks to EyesLikeLiquidFire for suggesting I throw Stefan in this part. It got me up and running with this part and I hope everyone enjoys how it turned out!  
****Thanks for reading, my loves! And stay tuned for the ending; it's coming, I promise! ;)**

The streets of Paris were nothing like she imagined. There was more walking around than driving and almost everyone sat outside to enjoy their tea and pastries. The air was always laced with some scent from a bakery or chocolatere or a restaurant, nothing like pine-scented Mystic Falls. It was exhilerating.

But she wasn't here for her. She was here to meet Stefan. Her mom hadn't stopped asking about him since Caroline came to visit her at home. She only visited because seeing her mother so weak physically while still so mentally sharp just broke her heart. Watching her go through it every day would be too much. And Liz understood. Caroline went to see her every month or so, careful not to be seen outside the house too much. There weren't many people around who still knew her, but it was better to be on the safe side.

Liz's health had taken a turn about a week ago, and Caroline offered to cancel her plans to travel to see her best friend. But her mom insisted she go, have a good time, eat a crepe. So she did.

Stefan had picked her up from the airport when she arrived and they'd been doing the natural touristy things for a couple days. This morning Caroline decided to get up early and surprise him with coffee and croissants from his favorite cafe. As she walked along the quiet side street leading back to Stefan's apartment, a memory hit her.

_"I'll take you...wherever you want...Rome..Paris..."_

The words suddenly replayed in her mind, his face accompanying them. He looked so excited, so happy about the prospect of showing her the world. And she'd written him off so quickly then.

_What about now?_ that ever nagging voice in the back of her head asked.

Truthfully, being in Paris the past few days had been amazing, but it also felt a bit strange. She remembered like it was yesterday when she told him she would give him a chance and he promised he'd wait. Something about being here without him almost felt like a betrayal of some sort.

_Maybe he's forgotten by now. Its been almost fourty years,_ part of her mused.

_Yeah right, that man doesn't forget anything,_ another part countered.

Caroline almost tripped on the stairs of the building at a third thought: _maybe he got tired of waiting._ It surprised her just how much that idea hurt.

By then she'd reached the front door, carefully balancing the cups on top of each other and holding the bag with the delicious pastries between her teeth. She tapped on the door twice then walked in, yelling a muffled, "I brought breakfast!" When she made it to the little coffee table in the center of the living room without spilling a drop or dropping a crumb she almost applauded herself. Out loud. Almost.

"Oh, Caroline, you're an angel," a slightly groggy Stefan mumbled as he came out of his room from the hallway behind her. He immediately grabbed a coffee and flopped down on the big plushy couch, taking a tenative sip. "God, thats perfect," he sighed and Caroline chuckled.

"You want me to leave you two alone?" she said, rolling her eyes and grabbing the other cup, taking off the lid to let it cool and sitting next to him.

"I'm surprised you even came home last night," Steffan said after they'd both consumed some caffiene. "That guy at the club was really into you."

Caroline scoffed. "Yeah, he was also into a cab twenty minutes after you left because he was so piss drunk."

Stefan laughed. "Wow. You sure know how to pick 'em."

_You don't know the half of it._

"You really should get back out there. Its been what, 5 years since you and Tyler split?"

"Yeah," she whispered, then cleared her throat and repeated, "Yeah."

Her friend looked over at her then leaed forward to set his coffee down. "Shit, I'm sorry, Care. I thought it was fine."

"No, it is," she said quickly before he beat himself up too much. And it was. Fine that is. After about 28 years together, it started to feel like they were only together out of obligation. Two more years of awkward attempts at rekindling their romance and they decided to call it quits. Tyler said he still loved her very much and she'd always mean the world to him, but they just didn't have _it_ anymore. It wasn't fair to either of them to stick out something that wasn't working. Carline felt the same way. She cared about him, but he didn't make her pulse jump with a simple touch, she didn't smile just thinking about him, she didn't feel like there was anything particularly remarkable about them - about her - anymore.

And as much as she hated to admit it, she had been drawing comparisions between Tyler and a certain someone for years. She couldn't help it. As her feelings for Tyler dwindled, her feelings for Klaus seemed to get amplified. She was thinking about him constantly, about that one, perfect kiss.

And it scared her shitless.

What if they gave it a go and there were no sparks? What if he'd changed back into the old angry, killer Klaus? What if he didn't like who she'd become? The idea of him now - of them - was terrifying to Caroline. It was the main reason she hadn't sought him out. She wasn't quite..._there_ yet, ya know?

"Caroline?" she heard Stefan say and she felt his hand take her coffee cup from her grasp. Then she realized she'd spilled some of it on her hand and it had dripped onto her jeans.

"Oh shoot," she said, standing up too quickly and knocking her purse off the side of the couch, its contents dumping on the floor. _So thats where I put it last night._

"Where were you just then?" Stefan asked while he bent to pick up her wallet, cell phone, keys, makeup bag,etc.

"Nothing, I was just..." Caroline trailed off as she saw him pick up the folded piece of parchment that she'd started keeping with her. She froze.

"What's this?" Stefan asked as he unfolded it. Caroline didn't answer but instead stared at the drawing of her from that night. It was the one thing no one else knew about, the one secret she allowed herself. She found it clipped to her mailbox the day after prom. She'd known exactly who it was from just by the paper and her heart had sped up almost double time. When she unraveled it, she found a beautiful rendering of herself in the golden dress, smiling wistfully at her classmates dancing a few meters away. She could remember almost the exact moment it depicted. At the bottom of the page, she noticed his unmistakable script: _"As long as it takes..."_ He didn't even have to sign it for her to know exactly who it was.

Caroline shook her head, bringing herself back to the present.

"You were thinking about _him_, weren't you?"

She blinked, looking over at Stefan from their crouched position.

"What?" She took her purse from his hands and set it aside as she got up to get a napkin to dry up the coffee drips.

"You were thinking about him a minute ago when you almost dumped your coffee on the couch," he said, getting up to follow her. Caroline started to deny it just to avoid the conversation, but Stefan went on, "And just now. You were thinkning about him."

Caroline narrowed her eyes at him. "Oh yeah? How do you figure that?"

"Because you had your Klaus look."

"I do NOT have a 'Klaus look'!" she countered, rolling her eyes. _Do I?_

As if reading her mind, Stefan said, "Yeah you do. Whenever you look longingly into the distance and smile that sad smile that doesn't reach your eyes; thats your Klaus look." Caroline gave him her best _how-the-hell-can-you-tell-that_ look. "I'm your best friend, Care. Its my job to pick up on things like that."

She glared at him for a few more seconds before going, _ah screw it. He's already called me out on it._ "Its complicated."

"Are you trying to make a crack about my intelligence?" Stefan said, placing a hand on his chest it - mostly - mock hurt. Caroline laughed shaking her head. "Talk to me. I think I can keep up."

Caroline sighed in resignation and nodded. Then she turned to the cabinet and grabbed the bottle of Scotch they kept on hand and a couple shot glasses from the rack next to it. "We're gonna need this. _I'm _definitely gonna need it.."

They walked back over to the couch and sat in the same places, but Caroline brought her knees up and wrapped her arms around them, her normal defensive posture. Stefan poured each of them a drink and handed one to her. She downed the liquid courage before he brought his to his lips.

"Okay, it can't be that bad," he said with a laugh, pouring her another.

"I guess its not, I just...its really confusing." She accepted the second drink and Stefan gave her an encouraging smile, inviting her to talk. She took a deep breath and started at the beginning - ish. "So you're pretty aware that Klaus had - has - a thing for me, yeah? Well...shit, I'm already saying this wrong," she grumbled, throwing back the shot.

Stefan took the glass from her, placing on the table. Apparently she was being cut off. "Okay, just start small. What were you thinking about when you spilled your coffee? When I brought up the break up?"

"Um...okay. So remember prom? How I showed up in this really amazing dress of mysterious origins? Well I went to see Klaus earlier that night, he gave it to me. Or helped me find it, rather. See, I tried on a bunch and nothing was right and the zipper caught on like the zillionth one and I started to kind of lose it a little and Klaus just..." she trailed off for a second, getting lost in the memory. "He calmed me down. He even said he was sorry for the part he played in the mess I thought I was in." _I am truly sorry, Miss Forbes._ "He was just so...sweet, gentle even. If he was like that to more than just me, maybe things might have turned out differently..."

"Sounds like you really cared about him," Stefan said.

"I did," she answered, then clarified, "I do. Somehow I still...care. He got under my skin and I can't seem to shake him." Caroline suddenly remembered Elena saying something similar about Damon. They'd been together for the past 32 years. Huh.

"Okay, but..." Stefan's voice brought her back to the present. God, she was zoning a lot today. "Something tells me that isn't the whole story."

Caroline sighed and said with a laugh, "Damn you and your perceptiveness, Salvatore!" She shoved his shoulder and he playfuly smacked her leg.

"I'm the broody vampire, remember? Bottling up feelings is kinda my thing, so its easy to see when others do it." Caroline shook her head and chuckled. "Now spill."

_Well, here goes._

"Okay so I went back by his house, mansion, whatever later that night to return the dress. He stole a dance after I won prom queen - something I'm still mad you missed by the way - and I said somthing that scared him into running off, so I went to confront him about it."

"Wait, what did you say?" Stefan interrupted.

"I called him Nik," Caroline said with almost a grimace, bracing for his reaction.

Stefan threw his head back and laughed. "Seriously? You called him by his name and he ran for the hills?"

"Will you let me finish!" she scolded. Stefan composed himself, and after a couple more snorts of laughter, he nodded for her to continue. "So, when he told me why he ran off, I challenged his reasons, and he played the Tyler card. And I knew he was right, I couldn't act on what I felt for him because I was with Tyler. He said he didn't want to be Nik to me until I could be his completely and of course I couldn't do that still dating Tyler, but I couldnt just leave Tyler like that, ya know? Is this weird, me telling you this?"

"Caroline, I asked you to. And from that run on sentence, it sounds like you need to get it out, look at it from a different angle." Stefan gave her a smile taking her hands in his, helping to calm her nerves. "What happened?"

Caroline contemplated saying nothing for a second before she found herself actually saying, "I confessed I wanted to give him a chance because I honestly did - I do. And he told me he'd wait. As long as it takes..." she swallowed the unexpected lump that was forming in her throat and continued, getting out the last bit of her secret. "And we kissed and it was...innocent and sweet, hopeful but sad. It was like we knew it may never happen again. I swear, in that moment I wanted to forget everything else and just have that one thing for myself, I wanted to know what it would feel like to be with him and not just physically with him, but like emotionally, everything." Caroline paused before adding very quietly, "Then he let me go...I left him and I didn't look back. And I've never doubted that decision more than I do right now."

She could feel tears prickling her eyes and she took a deep breath, forcing them back. It was strange, but it felt like, saying all this out loud, she realized just how stronggly she felt about it. Before now, she just chalked it up to her mind making it seem more intense, but saying the words, reliving the memories, everything made sense now.

She had to find him. She had to tell him that she finally was sure of her feelings.

"Hey," Stefan said softly, hooking a finger under her chin so she looked at him. His eyes held none of the judgement she expected and feared. He just smiled and said, "Sounds like we have a hybrid to find."

Caroline choked out a laugh and threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. He hugged her back and Caroline felt a weight lift when they shifted apart again.

"I can try calling his cell, but last I heard he was in New York. We can start there."

Caroline smiled at her awesome best friend. "Thanks, Stefan."

Just then, there was a knok at the door and Stefan cursed. "I'm sorry, I completely forgot Damon said he was dropping by," he told her, getting up to answer the door. "He heard you were here, wanted to say hi."

"Oh," Caroline said, slightly shocked. She ran a finger under her eyes, catching any make up that may have gone rogue then ran her hands through her hair, finally standing up. "Great, let him in."

"You sure? I can tell him to come back later," Stefan said, eyes gentle and concerned.

"No its fine, I'll grab another shot glass. It'd be nice to catch up with your...lesser half." She winked at him and headed for the kitchen as he headed for the door.

Thats when she heard her phone ring from the couch and she turned back to grab it, answering without looking at the caller i.d.

"Hello?"

"Hi, is this Caroline Forbes?" a woman's voice asked.

"Um, yes. To whom am I speaking?" Caroline answered getting more and more anxious by the second. Very few people had this number.

"My name is Doctor Trace. I just wanted to inform you that your grandmother, Liz was admitted to Mystic Falls General earlier this evening. We've had her on fluids and antibiotics, but there's an infection in her lungs that isn't going away. We're doing everything we can to make her comfortable, but it might be best if you were here. It might help her recover faster with a familiar face."

_Oh my god...ohmygod, no._ She knew what those words really meant: it didn't look good and they weren't sure how long she'd hang on.

"Can I speak to her?" she croaked out as her mind went a million different directions at once. Stefan and Damon picked that moment to walk into the room and Caroline hushed them with a wave of her hand and a stern look. Damon looked confused and Stefan looked concerned.

"Hi, Care," her mother's voice finally rasped into the phone. She sounded awful.

"Hey, mom," she said, trying to keep the tears out of her voice. "I thought I told you to call me if you were getting worse."

"Oh, honey you worry too much. Its honestly just a cold, I don't know what they're fussing about." Caroline heard her cough away from the receiver. She squeezed her eyes shut and a tear rolled down her cheek. "I knew you'd be having fun with Stefan, I didn't want to bother you." Another cough. Her voice was a bit weaker. "Send him my love, will you?"

Caroline brought her eyes to meet Stefan's and he walked toward her, placing a comforting hand on her arm. She knew he could hear everything.

"How about this," Caroline said, trying to sound upbeat. "I'm getting on the next plane home and I'll bring Stefan with me." She looked up at him momentarily, hoping it was okay. He nodded. "Then the two of us can take you home, okay? We'll have tea and chicken noodle soup and we'll get rid of that cold in no time." Caroline stopped just as her voice broke trying to hold back her emotions.

"Alright, honey, but only if you're sure. I don't want to ruin your vacation."

"Its fine, mom, really. I'm on my way to th airport now, okay?"

"Okay, I'll see you soon then."

Caroline shut her eyes tight again and said, "I love you, mom."

"Love you, Caroline." came the labored reply. Then the line went dead.

She stood there for a second just trying to breathe and Stefan whispered, "I'll call to book the tickets. Pack whatever you need." He placed a kiss on her forehead then retreated back to his room, pulling his phone out in the process.

Caroline almost couldn't move she was so scared. What if they didn't make it in time? What if...

Damon was suddenly in front of her, nudging her toward her room. She'd almost forgotten he was there.

"C'mon, Barbie. Lets get you packed." He had to almost pick her up and carry her down the short hallway to the room she occupied. Once inside, she froze, not knowing what to grab. It was weird. She knew she should be rushing around, getting out of there as quickly as possible, but her body just wanted to curl up and cry.

Thankfully, Damon was there. (A phrase she probably never would have otherwise thought was accurate.) He stepped around her frozen form, grabbed her suitcase from the closet and started grabbing anything he could find and throwing it in. After almost all her clothes were packed he turned to her.

"Barbie, look at me." He leaned his head down to catch her eyes. "I remember a time your mother almost took me down. Me! A couple times actually, but the point is, someone that bad ass doesn't go down like this." Caroline felt her lips tug up a bit at the corner. Leave it to Damon to try to joke about the situation. "And guess what? You're said bad ass's off spring, so you inherited some of it too. Show me some of that fire, Caroline. Pull yourself together and get home to your mom."

Her eyes actually focused on his for a second and he winked at her. She let out a breath and shook her head, willing her feet to move, gathering the remains of her clothes and other necessities. She was ready to go five minutes later.

"Good job, Barbie," Damon said from her doorway. "Let's go. I'm driving."

Caroline grabbed her suitcase off the bed and hurried after him, retreiving her purse from the coffee table and meeting Stefan at the door.

"Tickets will be waiting for us at the gate," he told her, opening the door and holding it for her.

"Okay," she answered. Then she realised something. "You didn't pay for both did you?"

Stefan gave her his best _we don't have time for this_ look and said, "Just let me get you home, Care."

The ride to the airport was shorter than it should have been, but with Damon's driving she wasn't all that surprised. The sunlight outside was a strange foil for how she felt. Her mother was an ocean away, a handful of hours behind, it was very weird.

They all got out and hurried into the building, reaching the point when they had to part ways rather quickly. Caroline took her bag from Damon - _when did he even grab it?_ - and gave him a quick hug. He awkwardly patted her back and when she opened her mouth to say thank you, he waved a dismissing hand.

"Don't mention it." He turned to Stefan and they shook hands. "Another time, brother. Give Liz my best." Then he turned and started walking back to his car.

"Wait!" Caroline called after him. He stopped and looked over his shoulder. "Come with us," she said.

He smiled. "Stef only booked two tickets. And besides, I probably shouldn't leave Elena here to fend for herself."

Caroline mentally slapped herself. Of course, his other half was in the city. How quickly one forgets. "Okay, but I want the two of you there as soon as you can. She may deny it, but I know my mom loves you guys too."

Damon smirked and gave a slow nod. "Right behind you, Barbie," he replied, then once again walked away.

"We've got about an hour," Stefan said, pulling her attention back to him. "Our flight leaves at 11:30am. We should get to the gate asap."

"Yeah," Caroline answered numbly and turned to follow him.

* * *

At 11:28, they were in their seats, ready for take off. Caroline usually slept on long flights, but she was too wound up to do that now. So, she set her focus out the window, at the trees flying past as they took off, at the city as they gained altitude, at the clouds when they were up among them. Her mind wandered from her mother to Klaus and what she was going to do now. Before that phone call, she was ready to drop everything and go to him, wherever he was, but now...she had to be there for her mother.

_What if he came to me?_ she mused. While she didn't think it was likely, the thought gave her a certain amount of peace. He had comforted her before when she needed it and his presense was more than welcome now. Unfortunately, it wasn't likely.

She closed her eyes, trying to remember what it felt like when he'd held her, how it both made her heart race and her mind calm down and focus only on him. Caroline was so caught up in the memories, that she didn't notice she'd fallen asleep until Stefan nudged her leg.

"Hey, sleepy-head, we're about to land in Richmond."

"How long was I out?" she asked, stretching a bit in her seat.

"Not sure. I passed out too, lost track of time. I think at least half the flight you were asleep."

"Wow. I didn't think I'd actually be able to," she said quietly, looking around a bit.

"You had a lot to think about. I'm pretty sure if you'd stayed conscious any longer, your head would have imploded."

Caroline chuckled and smacked his arm.

A miraculous 45 minutes later and they were through customs, on their way to baggage claim. Caroline checked her phone and saw no massages or missed calls from the hospital which she took as a good sign. _No news is good news._ She looked up to find Stefan walking toward her, bags in hand.

"Okay so rental car or bus? Car would be faster but -"

"Caroline," he said, cutting her off. They were almost to the front doors, she could see the group of people holding signs for the people they were picking up.

"What?" she huffed, getting a little impatient. "Its only two hours from here, we have to get a move -"

"Caroline!" he interrupted again grabbing her arm. "We have a ride."

She studied the odd look on his face, a mixture of excitement and caution and asked, "Who?"

Instead of answering, he nodded his head in the direction of the crowd and Caroline turned to follow his gaze. She scanned the area until her eyes landed on a sign written in a very familiar script. It read: Forbes.

Her eyes traveled up the form, noticing the black henley covered by a black leather jacket and painfully familiar necklaces. Caroline took a deep breath as she looked at his face their eyes instantly connecting. Even after all this time, all her doubt, one look from his stormy blue eyes and none of it mattered. He was here.

Klaus smiled a little at her speechless state then looked over at Stefan - who was evidently leading her by the elbow toward him - and gave him a nod. They came to a stop about two feet from each other and Klaus brought his gaze back to hers. Out of the corner of her eye, Caroline saw Stefan step up beside Klaus and clap him on the shoulder saying, "I'll grab the car." Then he walked away, leaving the two of them standing there like idiots, just staring at one another, trying to believe it was real.

After thinking about him so much on the plane, seeing him actually standing in front of her was almost too much for Caroline. Then she remembered why he was picking her up at the airport; she was going to see her possibly dying mother at the hospital. Then she recalled wanting the comfort of his arms, thinking about it so hard on the flight she swore he was sitting right next to her.

Before she knew it, she had stepped forward and thrown her arms around his neck and burried her face in his shoulder. Immediately she felt his arms encircle her waist, pulling her closer. Caroline was hit by a sudden and intense feeling of safety, finally being where she'd only wished to be for so long. For a moment, she just enjoyed the feel of him, breathed in his unmistakable scent, ran a hand through his magnificent curls.

Then Klaus turned his head and whispered into her hair, "We can talk later, love. Right now, how about you let me take you to your mother."

With a final squeeze, Caroline loosened her grip and stepped back from him, whiping at tears she hadn't noticed falling. Whether they were tears of joy from being reunited or tears of sorrow for her mom's condition, she wasn't sure. Probably both.

Klaus inclined his head to the doors and led her outside where Stefan had already pulled the car up to the curb. He got out and opened the passenger door for her before tossing the keys to Klaus and climbing in the back. Caroline ducked into the car and focused on who was waiting for her in a hospital bed, two hours away. She thought about what they could do for her once she was home, what she would do if she never came home again. Her mom had always been there; thinking about the possibility of life without her brought fresh tears to her eyes.

With her focus out the window as buildings and trees flew past, Caroline felt warm fingers lace through hers, picking up her hand. She looked over at Klaus who brought her hand up to his lips and pressed a soft kiss on her knuckles. Her eyes fluttered clossed and she sighed, willing her brain to slow down enough so she could sleep off the remaining time between her and her mom.

"Rest, love. We'll be there soon."

* * *

**Will they make it in time? Will Klaus and Caroline finally stop being stubborn and be honest about their feelings?  
Let me know! Reviews are my inspiration! :)**


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